Curcumin. Novel Turmeric Compound Delivers Much More Curcumin to the Blood part 2

Curcumin - Powerful Nervous System Protection

Curcumin. Novel Turmeric Compound Delivers Much More Curcumin to the Blood part 2 Among curcumin’s many benefits, protection from neurological damage ranks high on many researchers’ lists. “Curcumin has at least 10 known neuroprotective actions and many of these might be realized in [living subjects]…” wrote American scientists recently, in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. “Dietary curcumin is a strong candidate,” they added, “for use in the prevention or treatment of major disabling age-related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and stroke.”16

These scientists are not alone in their assessment of curcumin’s potential for protection against dreaded diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Numerous researchers are investigating curcumin’s protective activities in the brain. For example, Chinese scientists reported in early 2007 that curcumin protects the brains of laboratory animals from a type of injury that often follows stroke. Known as ischemia/reperfusion injury, this damage to brain tissue is believed to occur due to stroke-related deficits in the blood-brain barrier. A single injection of curcumin dramatically reduced ischemia-reperfusion damage, neurological deficits, and death, among animals with experimentally induced stroke.49

As another example, South African investigators wondered if curcumin could protect rats’ brains from lead poisoning.One way lead damages brain tissue is by inducing lipid peroxidation.50 Brain tissue is largely composed of lipids, so it’s especially vulnerable to this type of damage. By adding curcumin to test animals’ diets, lead toxicity was significantly reduced, possibly by raising concentrations of the antioxidant glutathione.51 Previously, Indian researchers reported that curcumin raised concentrations of glutathione and two potent antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and catalase, in the brains of lead-poisoned rats, significantly attenuating lead-induced damage.52

Other researchers report that curcumin may chelate, or bind to, toxic heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium, greatly reducing their toxicity to neurological tissues.53

Furthermore, scientists have reported that curcumin protects brain tissue against oxidative stress by promoting production of a protective enzyme, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). “In the [central nervous system],” wrote the researchers, “HO-1 has been reported to operate as a fundamental defensive mechanism for neurons exposed to an oxidant challenge.”54 Traumatic injury to the brain also results in oxidative stress, often affecting cognition and “synaptic plasticity,” which is believed to play a crucial role in healthy learning and memory. In animal experiments, US researchers showed, “Supplementation of curcumin in the diet dramatically reduced oxidative damage and… counteracted the cognitive impairment caused by [traumatic brain injury].”55

Novel Curcumin Formulation: What You Need to Know

One of today’s most promising natural disease-fighting agents is curcumin. Derived from the curry spice turmeric, curcumin has been used for millennia to target disease and promote good health.
Most commercially available preparations of curcumin have very poor bioavailability, impairing their ability to confer life-sustaining properties.
Scientists have recently discovered a novel curcumin preparation with exceptional bioavailability. In a human study, this advanced curcumin preparation—termed BCM-95®—delivered up to seven times more curcumin to the bloodstream than a standard curcumin product. This increased bioavailability should greatly enhance curcumin’s benefits.
Curcumin promotes health by diverse mechanisms. Scientists have documented curcumin’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-microbial, neuroprotective, cancer-fighting, and immune-enhancing abilities.
Studies suggest that curcumin may help prevent or fight prostate, pancreatic, breast, and colon cancers.
Curcumin may help protect the brain against the devastating consequences of stroke and exposure to toxic heavy metals.
Individuals who consume more curcumin-rich curry are less likely to experience cognitive decline, suggesting curcumin could help protect the nervous system against aging. In laboratory and animal models, curcumin shows promise in preventing the pathological changes seen in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease sufferers.

Curcumin - Cognitive Decline and Dementia

Curcumin - Cognitive Decline and Dementia Even in the absence of injury or toxicity, loss of cognitive function is a hallmark of aging. Memory loss is believed to begin by age 50, and, by age 80, it’s predicted that nearly half of all individuals will advance to some form of dementia.56

Wondering if curcumin might protect aging brains from cognitive decline, Asian scientists conducted an epidemiological study of curry consumption and cognitive function among the elderly. They found that men and women who consumed turmeric-laced curry “occasionally,” “often,” or “very often,” had significantly better scores on a standardized test of mental status than subjects who “never or rarely” consumed curry. The investigators described these findings as “tentative evidence of better cognitive performance from curry consumption in nondemented elderly Asians…”25

Curcumin and Alzheimer’s Disease Protection

Curcumin and Alzheimer’s Disease Protection Curcumin may offer protection against the most common cause of dementia: Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of a malformed protein, amyloid-beta. Ordinarily, immune cells known as macrophages identify these defective proteins, engulf them, and destroy them. But for reasons that are not entirely clear, macrophages fail to perform this crucial function in Alzheimer’s disease.57 Using animal models of Alzheimer’s, scientists have shown that curcumin can enhance clearance of amyloid-beta, while reducing fibrils, which are also associated with Alzheimer’s pathology. Curcumin’s ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and directly bind to plaques may be important in its anti-amyloid activity.58

Los Angeles-based researchers tested the anti-amyloid activity of human macrophages taken from Alzheimer’s disease patients. After incubation with curcumin in the laboratory, uptake of amyloid-beta by macrophages from half of the patients significantly increased. The researchers concluded that this modification of the innate immune system by curcumin, “might be a safe approach to immune clearance of [abnormal amyloid-beta accumulation] in Alzheimer’s disease brain.”59 These data appear to indicate that curcumin is protective against the development of Alzheimer’s disease, and that it may even help reverse the disease process, once begun.

Safety and Dosing

Curcumin-Safety and Dosing Given that turmeric is a food that has been safely consumed for millennia, curcumin would appear to be the perfect dietary supplement.3 In fact, “Curcumin has an outstanding safety profile and a number of [multifunctional] actions…” wrote US researchers recently.16 Phase I clinical trials, using massive doses of curcumin (up to 8 g/day for four months) in human volunteers, “did not result in discernible toxicities…”17

Of course, not everyone finds curry palatable, especially on a routine basis. But virtually anyone can swallow a simple daily supplement. Most commercial products provide 300-500 mg per pill, standardized to 95% curcumin. Reported adverse reactions have been limited to mild gastrointestinal distress, which may be minimized by consuming curcumin with food.60

Conclusion

In this overview, we’ve seen that curcumin has served mankind for thousands of years, and we’ve noted some of the potent benefits scientists continue to discover. The advent of a revolutionary delivery system promises to make these benefits available to anyone willing to take the proactive step of supplementing the diet with just one or two capsules of enhanced-bioavailable curcumin each day.

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